THE TRIUMVIRATE – TRUMP, PUTIN AND DUTERTE
(MISGUIDED AND RUTHLESS IN EQUAL PARTS)
COMPILATION AND COMMENTARY
BY LUCY WARNER
JANUARY 29, 2018


IF IT’S TRUE THAT “BIRDS OF A FEATHER FLOCK TOGETHER,” WE SHOULD BE ASKING OURSELVES AND EACH OTHER, “WHAT IS GOING ON HERE? DOES ANYONE BUT ME REALLY CARE?” IF YOU DO CARE, GO TO THE BOTTOM OF MY DAILY NEWS BLOG ENTRY AND FIND THE TOO-WELL-HIDDEN OFFER TO ENTER YOUR THOUGHTS THERE. IF YOU WANT FEEDBACK, LEAVE ME YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS OR FACEBOOK PAGE INFO. I’VE ALWAYS CARED ABOUT AMERICA, AND I CARE EVEN MORE NOW.

WE NEED A CHAIN OF PEOPLE WHO WILL DO SOMETHING LIKE WHAT THE “COMMITTEES OF CORRESPONDENCE” DID FOR THE AMERICAN COLONISTS. REMEMBER THAT? THE BRITISH ARE COMING, THE BRITISH ARE COMING? (FOR A WONDERFUL MOVIE ON A SIMILAR SUBJECT, WATCH “THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING, THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING.”)

GOOGLE THAT PHRASE “COMMITTEES OF CORRESPONDENCE.” FOR MORE ON THE SUBJECT. IT WORKED LIKE NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH, BUT IN THIS CASE THE NEIGHBORHOOD IN QUESTION IS THE USA AND ALL OF OUR DEPENDENT NATIONS; AND THE ROLE OF PAUL REVERE IS SERVED BY THE INTERNET. THAT WAS A COMMUNICATION SYSTEM ONE PERSON OR GROUP TO THE NEXT, THAT THE AMERICAN REVOLUTIONARIES SET UP TO LINK IN WITH THEIR SHARED THOUGHTS, IMPORTANT INFORMATION AND PLANS FOR ACTION IF NEEDED.


SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL

REMEMBER THAT MUSICALLY AND POETICALLY GREAT ROCK SONG CALLED “SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL?” EVERY NOW AND THEN A TIME PERIOD COMES ALONG WHEN I FEEL IT’S TIME TO LOOK AT THOSE LYRICS AND HEAR THE PROFOUNDLY MOVING, IF DISTURBING, MUSIC AGAIN. THIS IS ONE OF THOSE TIMES.

READ IT: https://www.google.com/search?q=sympathy+for+the+devil+lyrics&oq=sympathy+for+the+devil&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j0j35i39l2j0l2.6361j1j8&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8.

HEAR IT: https://www.google.com/search?q=SYMPATHY+FOR+THE+DEVIL+YOUTUBE&oq=SYMPATHY+FOR+THE+DEVIL+YOUTUBE&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l5.43686j0j8&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8


THE POEM
Keith Richards / Mick Jagger

Please allow me to introduce myself
I'm a man of wealth and taste
I've been around for a long, long year
Stole many a man's soul to waste
And I was 'round when Jesus Christ
Had his moment of doubt and pain
Made damn sure that Pilate
Washed his hands and sealed his fate
Pleased to meet you
Hope you guess my name
But what's puzzling you
Is the nature of my game
I stuck around St. Petersburg
When I saw it was a time for a change
Killed the czar and his ministers
Anastasia screamed in vain
I rode a tank
Held a general's rank
When the blitzkrieg raged
And the bodies stank
Pleased to meet you
Hope you guess my name, oh yeah
Ah, what's puzzling you
Is the nature of my game, oh yeah
(Woo woo, woo woo)
I watched with glee
While your kings and queens
Fought for ten decades
For the gods they made
(Woo woo, woo woo)
I shouted out,
Who killed the Kennedys?
When after all
It was you and me
(Who who, who who)
Let me please introduce myself
I'm a man of wealth and taste
And I laid traps for troubadours
Who get killed before they reached Bombay
(Woo woo, who who)
Pleased to meet you
Hope you guessed my name, oh yeah
(Who who)
But what's puzzling you
Is the nature of my game, oh yeah, get down, baby
(Who who, who who)
Pleased to meet you
Hope you guessed my name, oh yeah
But what's confusing you
Is just the nature of my game
(Woo woo, who who)
Just as every cop is a criminal
And all the sinners saints
As heads is tails
Just call me Lucifer
'Cause I'm in need of some restraint
(Who who, who who)
So if you meet me
Have some courtesy
Have some sympathy, and some taste
(Woo woo)
Use all your well-learned politesse
Or I'll lay your soul to waste, mm yeah
(Woo woo, woo woo)
Pleased to meet you
Hope you guessed my name, mm yeah
(Who who)
But what's puzzling you
Is the nature of my game, mm mean it, get down
(Woo woo, woo woo)
Woo, who
Oh yeah, get on down
Oh yeah
Oh yeah!
(Woo woo)
Tell me baby, what's my name
Tell me honey, can ya guess my name
Tell me baby, what's my name
I tell you one time, you're to blame
Oh, who
Woo, woo
Woo, who
Woo, woo
Woo, who, who [x2]
Oh, yeah
What's my name
Tell me, baby, what's my name
Tell me, sweetie, what's my name
Woo, who, who [x6]
Oh, yeah
Woo woo [x2]

Songwriters: Keith Richards / Mick Jagger
Sympathy for the Devil lyrics © Abkco Music, Inc


DONALD TRUMP PROVES HIMSELF A REAL LEADER – OF THE PROPAGATORS OF EVIL RATHER THAN THE GOOD. WATCH THIS INTERVIEW WITH STEVEN BUTLER, ASIA CMTE TO PROTECT JOURNALISTS. WE NEED A THIRD PARTY IN THE USA. THE GOOD GUYS FROM THE REPUBLICAN AND THE DEMOCRATIC PARTIES CAN JOIN BERNIE SANDERS AND OTHERS LIKE HIM WHO HAPPEN TO BE PRO-HUMANITY AND PRO-EARTH. OUR PARTY MAY NOT WIN, BUT IT WILL BE FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT REASONS AND GOALS. I CAN PROUDLY STAND BEHIND THAT.

WE MUST REMEMBER ABOUT TRUMP THAT HE HAS NO EMOTIONAL ALLEGIANCE TO ANYBODY OR ANYTHING EXCEPT HIMSELF AND HIS FAMILY, AS LONG AS THEY OBEY HIM AND DO PUBLICITY WORK FOR HIM. IVANKA TRUMP’S “COMPLICITY” STATEMENT IS A GOOD EXAMPLE. THESE REPUBLICANS AND OTHERS ALSO WHO ARE STEPPING DOWN RATHER THAN CONFRONT HIM, ARE IN MY VIEW “COMPLICIT,” INTENTIONALLY OR NOT. IF, HOWEVER, THEY DO GO AND GIVE EVIDENCE TO MUELLER, I WILL CHANGE MY MIND ABOUT THEM.

IF AND WHEN DEMOCRATS GO OVER TO THE DARK SIDE, I’LL RAISE A BIGGER STINK ABOUT IT. “CONSERVATIVE” DEMOCRATS ALWAYS HAVE DISTURBED ME. AFTER ALL, I EXPECT THAT FROM CONSERVATIVE REPUBLICANS. I TOTALLY FORGIVE COPPERHEAD SNAKES FOR BITING ME IF I DON’T DO WHAT I SHOULD DO -- SCAN THE GROUND EVERY 30 FEET OR SO WHEN I WALK IN THE WOODS. ONCE WHEN WALKING IN THE MOUNTAINS OF VIRGINIA I CAME WITHIN A FEW INCHES OF STEPPING RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF COILED COPPERHEAD. WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT PROTECTIVE COLORATION REALLY DOES WORK.

https://www.cnn.com/2018/01/28/asia/asia-fake-news-media-repression-intl/index.html
Asia's strongmen follow Trump's lead on fake news
By Euan McKirdy, CNN
Updated 6:44 AM ET, Mon January 29, 2018

VIDEO INTERVIEW -- Source: CNN, Trump's impact on press freedom in Asia
04:35

(CNN)"Spies." An "iceberg of misinformation," and "a media that acts as a mafia."

And, of course, "fake news."

These are some of the terms leaders across Southeast Asia are using to discredit journalists and media outlets -- and the rhetoric is morphing into action, with arrests of journalists and the shuttering of news sites across the region.
In the Philippines, an independent news site, which has been accused of being "fake news" by the country's leader, Rodrigo Duterte, faces closure after the country's SEC pulled its license.

Elsewhere, two journalists in Myanmar are facing charges filed while they were reporting on the Rohingya crisis for Reuters. In nearby Cambodia, a US-funded news organization shut its local bureau down; shortly after, two of its former reporters were arrested.

Analysts and observers say Asia's strongman leaders have been emboldened by the lack of criticism of their heavy-handed tactics from Washington and the administration of President Donald Trump, himself a fierce and persistent critic of the press.

"It's a worrying trend," says Shawn Crispin, Senior Southeast Asia Representative for the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). "It looks as though they're taking cues from one of the countries that (traditionally) protected press freedom, the United States."

A college student participates in a protest to defend press freedom in Manila.

Shutdown threat

Last week, the Philippines Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) -- ostensibly an independent, non-political organization -- announced that it would be rescinding the license for the online news site Rappler.

At the heart of the issue was a claim by the SEC that Rappler, an upstart online news portal in the Philippines, had violated the country's constitution and that its registration would be revoked over foreign ownership rules. Rappler has strongly denied the claims.
The news organization, which was founded in 2012, has in recent years reported extensively on the Duterte administration's bloody, controversial war on drugs.

An employee of online portal Rappler heads out from their editorial office in Manila on January 15, 2018, while a private security guard stands.

An employee of online portal Rappler heads out from their editorial office in Manila on January 15, 2018, while a private security guard stands.

"Why were we given such a harsh penalty? It seems linked directly to the criticism, the questions we continue to ask in holding the government accountable," Rappler founder and CEO Maria Ressa said.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque told CNN affiliate CNN Philippines that the office of the president had "nothing to do with the SEC decision."

Following the threat of closure, Rappler reported that the Department of Justice and its National Bureau of Investigation had summoned Ressa -- who is a former CNN reporter -- in a subpoena for a libel case for a story written in 2012.

She says that the SEC and DOJ actions are attempts to intimidate her outlet, and has vowed to explore every available legal avenue.

Maria Ressa, CEO and founder of Rappler, speaks during a press conference at their office in Manila on January 15, 2018.

'Fake news'

Duterte has been disparaging of the media -- taking his cues, some analysts say, from Trump's own playbook.

"What we're seeing now is, again, the term 'fake news' cropping up and that's what Duterte's used against Rappler," says Peter Greste, Professor of Journalism at Queensland University.

"(That) follows President Trump's lead, in branding any news organization that he doesn't like, or any news organization which will publish a story that is uncomfortable to his government, as fake news."

Greste, a former Al Jazeera journalist, spent more than 400 days in captivity in Egypt on charges that included conspiring with the Muslim Brotherhood, spreading false news and endangering national security.

Trump has "shown no inclination to criticize or oppose (authoritarian) regimes," he says.

Indeed, the Philippines is not alone in its leaders aping the US leader's "fake news" catch-all.

"Trump's use of the phrase 'fake news' to diminish criticism has traveled far, it's not only Duterte in the region -- other leaders take their cue from Trump as well," says John Nery, an associate editor at the Philippine Daily Inquirer, another publication to have been the focus of Duterte's ire -- he has called it "bullshit," alongside another Philippine outlet, ABS-CBN.

"You put out garbage. Somebody should tell you now, you sons of bitches, you engaged in too much foolishness," he reportedly said in a March 2017 speech at the presidential palace.

Journalists and activists stage a protest calling to defend press freedom on January 19, 2018, in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines following the SEC decision to withdraw Rappler's license.

Journalists and activists stage a protest calling to defend press freedom on January 19, 2018, in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines following the SEC decision to withdraw Rappler's license.

The Pope has a message on 'fake news' for Trump

Region-wide trend

Among those leaders is Myanmar's de facto ruler, Aung San Suu Kyi, who, amid criticism of her country's military, dismissed reports of mistreatment of ethnic Rohingya in Myanmar's Rakhine State as a "huge iceberg of misinformation."

The country is now seeking to charge two Reuters journalists covering the crisis, Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, under the Official Secrets Act, a colonial-era law which carries a maximum 14-year jail sentence.

In a statement sent to CNN, Reuters editor-in-chief Steve Adler called the detentions "a wholly unwarranted, blatant attack on press freedom. Our colleagues should be allowed to return to their jobs reporting on events in Myanmar."

View image on Twitter

Andrew RC Marshall
✔
@Journotopia
Reuters journalist Kyaw Soe Oo, in handcuffs and guarded by police, cradles his 2-year-old daughter at a Yangon court yesterday. He and our Reuters colleague Wa Lone are innocent men who should be freed immediately. Please read/share: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-myanmar-journalists-profiles/arrested-myanmar-reporters-two-book-lovers-dedicated-to-the-truth-idUSKBN1ED0J8 … #FreeWaLoneKyawSoeOo
6:07 AM - Jan 24, 2018
2 2 Replies 76 76 Retweets 40 40 likes
Twitter Ads info and privacy

In Cambodia, two journalists who had worked for the US Congress-funded outlet Radio Free Asia, Uon Chhin and Yeang Sothearin, were detained on espionage charges, RFA reported late last year.

Criticizing a hearing decision to deny the two men bail, their lawyer, Keo Vanny, said that his "clients have not committed any offenses related to the charges against them."

RFA closed its country bureau amid what it calls "a relentless crackdown by Prime Minister Hun Sen's authoritarian regime on independent media ahead of critical polls next year," the Washington, D.C.-based outlet quoted its president, Libby Liu, as saying last September.

Also in Cambodia, the respected Cambodia Daily was shuttered by the government last year after failure to pay a $6.3 million tax bill. The paper says the bill was politically motivated.

Reuters reported that Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen alluded to the newspaper's closure at a correspondent's dinner earlier this week in Phnom Penh, saying some outlets acted like "mafia" and "don't respect laws, they are not registered by law and they avoid paying taxes."

The paper denies the allegations.

Also in late 2017, this time in Vietnam, Reporters Without Borders reported that Nguyen Van Hoa, a 22-year-old blogger and citizen-journalist, was jailed for seven years for "disseminating propaganda" against the state.

'Army of trolls'

Supporters of Duterte and other authoritarian leaders in the region have embraced the new atmosphere of hostility towards the media, particularly on social networks.

In the Philippines, activists and media groups have long suspected that the administration has a hand in guiding what Carlos Conde, a Philippines researcher for Human Rights Watch (HRW) researcher calls Duterte's "army of trolls."

Conde says that the administration's attempts to undermine the press is aided by Duterte's supporters' use of social media -- mostly Facebook and Twitter. "(When) we talk about weaponizing the internet, they're the ones pulling the trigger."

Nery, the Inquirer editor, says that the climate online for journalists is aggressive and vicious. "On Facebook the air is thick with hostility."

In response to a CNN response for comment, Facebook said: "We want Facebook to be a safe place for people, especially journalists, to express themselves politically. We have strong policies against hate speech and threats, and we enforce them aggressively."

Conde says the journalists he's spoken to say that when a story critical of the president publishes online "almost immediately the trolls descend and just keep coming."

He says the posters flood Facebook pages with negative comments, and in at least one casea denial of service (DDoS) attack on a news site was launched.

He says that HRW haven't been able to definitively tie the administration to the trolling, but says "it's clear that someone is ordering this army to attack. Who could that be? This president has made no secret of his contempt for the press, or anybody who questions the way he does things."

CNN has contacted the Philippines government for comment, but has yet to receive a response.

CPJ's Crispin says that social media offered many journalists and new media outlets a brave new world, spaces free of government censorship. It is a bitter irony, he says, that these same spaces are now being flooded with anti-media posts.

"(They) offered a chance for a new brand of independent journalism, and these spaces are being taken back by governments that have launched assaults on these spaces through laws, intimidation and even the jailing of these journalists. It's a dramatic reversal of what was a pretty positive trend."

John McCain tells Trump to 'stop attacking the press'

Real-world consequences

Even before the clampdown on Rappler and the wider threats against journalists who report critically on the government, the Philippines was already one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist, CPJ's Crispin says.

"It just got more dangerous. A lot of that danger now is emanating from online -- journalists who report on Duterte's lethal and controversial drug war have been assaulted online as soon as their critical reports come out."

Crispin points to CPJ research that shows, the world over, attacks on journalists are preceded by threats.

Michigan man arrested after caller threatens to kill CNN employees

"So the fact that these threats are being made, if not yet necessarily being realized, as physical violence doesn't discount the threats to press freedom," says Crispin.

The effects of the attacks online are manifold, says Conde, the HRW researcher. "A lot of journalists in the Philippines will tell you that it's not just adding to the stress, (the attacks) make you feel vulnerable ... The logical end is that they might start censoring themselves, although I have faith in their ethics and professionalism to keep continuing to do their jobs."

Despite the attacks on their news organizations, both Ressa and Nery say their colleagues continue to publish.

Rappler CEO: Stripping of license is political 03:00
Long road back

Rappler CEO Ressa says it is nascent democracies like the Philippines that are particularly susceptible to attacks on the media. It was only three decades ago, in 1986, her countrymen overthrew longtime dictator Ferdinand Marcos in what came to be known as the "people power revolution."

"It's been 32 years since the sudden euphoria of 1986 and the fragility of our democracy. To be back in the same place, now, to have to protect freedoms from potential state abuse, I have no words for it."

During her time at CNN Ressa worked in countries with oppressive regimes across Asia, and says she decided to return to the country of her birth to help grow and build on the post-Marcos sense of hope -- which the constant attacks on Rappler and media colleagues throughout the industry are eroding.

"Here it's emotional for me. I chose to come to the Philippines. I felt like the Philippines was a democracy that I would help grow and strengthen. And I continue to do that by standing my ground but the fact that we're here again (fighting oppression) should be of concern to Filipinos."



http://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/features/a21836/ivanka-trump-complicit-white-house-employee/
Don't Let Ivanka Trump's Tweets Fool You—She Doesn't Care About Women
"I don't know why we ever thought she would protect us from Trump's agenda, beyond the fact she said she was a feminist."
By Jennifer Wright Apr 5, 2017

Photograph – Ivanka Trump, Getty Images

Ivanka Trump is not going to save you.

There was a time not so long ago when people thought she might. Remember all those "Dear Ivanka" messages? I'm not entirely sure why we ever thought that she would protect us from Trump's agenda, beyond the fact that she said she was a feminist, tweets like she's a feminist, and is a pretty lady with a nice smile and extremely beautiful blond hair, like the hair of a princess.

How I envy her hair. She has such lovely hair.

She's also absolutely complicit in the terrors of the Trump regime.

Her complicity no one should envy. And while it's an accusation that's been thrown out a good deal—from Lauren Duca saying she has a "sinister complicity in the Trump Agenda" to Saturday Night Live suggesting that the name of her perfume should be Complicit—it's one she's only just addressed herself.

Ivanka Trump was asked about that description on CBS this morning and replied, "I don't know what it means to be complicit… If being complicit is wanting to be a force for good and to make a positive impact, then I'm complicit."

This woman is an assistant to the President. She should probably know what being "complicit" means. But since she does not, I will help define it for her.

It means helping someone else do wrong. So, the opposite of "being a force for good."

For instance, by not stopping them or speaking out against their wrongdoing. Which she does.

"Ivanka sits quietly while Trump implements or tries to implement policies that will hurt the very women she, a self proclaimed feminist, is supposed to be trying to 'empower.'"

As a newly appointed federal employee, Ivanka sits quietly while Trump implements or tries to implement policies that will hurt the very women she, a self proclaimed feminist, is supposed to be trying to "empower." She didn't say anything when the White House rolled back Transgender protections. She remained silent when Trump tried to introduce a bill to defund Planned Parenthood. She said nothing when her father defunded the United Nations Population Fund (which allows women access to reproductive services and supports maternal health). When he rolled back protections on Equal Pay, again, she said nothing. These are policies that are going to hurt trans women, women in need of health care, mothers around the globe, and working women.


Merriam-Webster
✔ @MerriamWebster

📈'Complicit' is our #1 lookup after Ivanka Trump told CBS "I don’t know what it means to be complicit." https://www.merriam-webster.com/news-trend-watch/lookups-for-complicit-spiked-after-an-snl-sketch-used-the-word-to-describe-ivanka-trump-20170313 …

6:29 AM - Apr 5, 2017

Meanwhile, you know who won't be hurt by these policies? The Ivanka Trumps of the world. Or maybe just Ivanka Trump, specifically. Literally, at this point, just this extremely wealthy, traditionally attractive women who Trump can imagine himself dating, but will not grab by the pussy. They are women who can quit jobs if they get sexually harassed. They are women who are not troubled by their appointment as a Presidential Advisor despite having no government experience whatsoever. Possibly this is because they come from a family where "nepotism is a factor of life." They are women who have extremely perfect hair.

That's a really small group.

Meanwhile, Ivanka, has said that we should not, "conflate lack of public denouncement with silence. I think there are multiple ways to have your voice heard."

Oh, really? Are there a lot of ways to have your voice heard? Because speaking up, in public, where people can hear you is one very good way to have your voice heard. Other ways are… making a podcast, I guess?


Ivanka Trump
✔ @IvankaTrump

#EqualPayDay is a reminder that women deserve equal pay for equal work. We must work to close the gender pay gap! https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2017/03/13/womens-pay-gap-23rd-century/97901550/ …

6:31 AM - Apr 4, 2017

Trending: Lookups For 'Complicit' Spiked After An SNL Sketch Used The Word To Describe Ivanka Trump

'She's beautiful...she's powerful...she's complicit'

merriam-webster.com
311 311 Replies
4,536 4,536 Retweets
8,583 8,583 likes



THERE IS AN ALARMING REFERENCE IN AN EARLY FREQUENTLY QUOTED SOURCE, IN WHICH THE WRITER WEIGHS IN AGAINST DEMOCRACY. HE STATES THAT THEY RARELY LAST MORE THAN 200 YEARS.

TO THE KIND OF VOTER WHO WILL CHECK IN THEIR WORKPLACE, THE NEIGHBORHOOD, ETC. TO SEE HOW EVERYBODY HE OR SHE HAPPENS TO KNOW IS VOTING BEFORE HE DECIDES WHO HE WILL SUPPORT, THIS ARGUMENT WILL UNDOUBTEDLY HAVE WEIGHT. THEY SIMPLY DON’T “MAKE UP THEIR OWN MINDS AT ALL.” THEY ALSO DON’T WANT TO DO THAT OFTEN-TEDIOUS PERSONAL ATTENTION TO WHAT IS GOING ON IN THE WORLD AROUND THEM, EXCEPT FOR WHAT FASHIONS TO BUY. AFTER ALL, THAT’S THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUE. RIGHT?

TO THOSE WHO WANT FAIR AND BENIGN GOVERNMENT AT ALL COSTS, THEY WILL PROBABLY DO PERSONAL RESEARCH, DISCUSS AND OCCASIONALLY DEBATE IN A FACT-FINDING EFFORT, AND THEN DECIDE FOR THEMSELVES. THAT WAY THEY WILL BE ONE INDEPENDENT AND RELATIVELY WELL-INFORMED MIND IN THE AMERICAN DECISION-MAKING PROCESS. THAT’S THE WAY TO USE ELECTIONS. THE GOAL IS TO MAKE THE BEST DECISION AND GET THE BEST PEOPLE INTO THE GOVERNMENT.

A FRIEND OF MINE ONCE SAID THAT “GROUP PEOPLE ARE BOTH GROUP-FORMERS AND GROUP-FORMED.” IF ASKED WHY THE MORE “GROUP-FORMED” AND “GROUP-FORMING” VOTERS DO THEIR THINKING THAT WAY, THEY OFTEN SAY THAT THEY WANT TO SEE WHO “PEOPLE” THINK IS GOING TO WIN, OR EVEN OUTRIGHTLY THAT THEY WANT TO BE IN THE WINNING GROUP – ABOVE THE PARTICULAR CHARACTERISTICS OF THE WINNER.

WELL, SO DO WE ALL, BUT THAT’S NO REASON TO FAIL TO CONSULT OUR OWN MIND AND CONSCIENCE ON THE MATTER, AND BESIDES IT RUINS THE DEMOCRATIC PROCESS. IT STRIPS IT OF ITS’ POTENCY, AND THUS LAYS THEM WIDE OPEN FOR AN ARROGANT, BORDERLINE INSANE AUTOCRAT. KNOW ANYONE LIKE THAT? APPARENTLY, THEY DON’T WANT TO BE EMBARRASSED BY HAVING VOTED FOR SOMEONE WHO LOSES. WHEN I FIRST HEARD SOMEONE SAY THAT, I WAS STARTLED. I NOW KNOW THAT IS THE WAY SUCH PEOPLE “MAKE UP THEIR MINDS.” THEY DON’T WEIGH INDEPENDENT AND IMPORTANT FACTORS SO MUCH AS TAKE AN OPINION POLL AND THEN TRY TO MORPH IT INTO THEMSELVES AFTER THEY FIND OUT WHO IS THE WEALTHIEST AND MOST POWERFUL. THERE IS ALSO AN INTERESTING THING, SOME OF THEM BELIEVE THAT IF THEY VOTE FOR SOMEONE WHO ISN’T “THE WINNER,” THEY HAVE “THROWN AWAY THEIR VOTE.”

I BELIEVE IF EACH VOTER CHOOSES THE FAIREST, THE MOST GENEROUS, THE MOST INTELLIGENT, THE MOST HONEST AND DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE, HE OR SHE WILL NOT HAVE TO BE EXCRUCIATINGLY EMBARRASSED BY HAVING VOTED FOR SOMEONE LIKE DONALD TRUMP, AND THAT’S GOOD ENOUGH REASON FOR ME. IF TRUMP WINS ANYWAY, AT LEAST I DID MY PART FOR THE COUNTRY. I HELD MY NOSE AND VOTED FOR HILLARY CLINTON WHEN BERNIE SANDERS ASKED US TO. FOR THOSE WHO DISAGREE WITH ME ON THAT PHILOSOPHY, JUST REMEMBER THAT WE ALL, AT LEAST OCCASIONALLY, HAVE TO LOOK AT OURSELVES IN THE MIRROR.

https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Alexander_Fraser_Tytler- Alexander Fraser Tytler, Lord Woodhouselee (October 15, 1747 – January 5, 1813) was a Scottish-born British lawyer and writer.

https://www.google.com/search?q=sympathy+for+the+devil+lyrics&oq=sympathy+for+the+devil&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j0j35i39l2j0l2.6361j1j8&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

THIS IS A VERY INTERESTING VIDEO -- DUTERTE SERENADING DONALD TRUMP. WAS THERE MORE TO THIS PICTURE, PERHAPS? LISTEN TO THIS, ESPECIALLY THE DUTERTE NEWS REPORT. YES, I MEAN A NEWS REPORT OF DUTERTE’S GOVERNMENT. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkzTDkLH0ak.


https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2018/01/30/kth-nunes-fbi-memo-released-cooper-ac360.cnn
Cooper: Trump targets those investigating him
CNN's Anderson Cooper notices a pattern in the types of people President Donald Trump tends to criticize most. Source: CNN

STORIES WORTH WATCHING (16 VIDEOS)

Video -- keeping them honest: extraordinarily reckless


https://www.cnn.com/2018/01/29/politics/russia-donald-trump-andrew-mccabe/index.html
Trump zeroes in on Justice Department brass in Russia probe
Stephen Collinson Profile
Analysis by Stephen Collinson, CNN
Updated 9:03 PM ET, Mon January 29, 2018

Washington (CNN)The escalating campaign by President Donald Trump and his allies against the Russia investigation hit a new peak of intensity Monday.

First came news of the resignation of Andrew McCabe, the deputy director of the FBI, after weeks of attacks by Trump and his allies on Capitol Hill and in conservative media that he was a symptom of a "deep state" conspiracy against the President.

Then the House Intelligence Committee voted to release a memo alleging abuses by the FBI of surveillance law when it used a dossier about Trump and Russia to obtain a warrant to eavesdrop on Trump campaign foreign policy aide Carter Page.

FBI Deputy Director McCabe stepping down

The revelations, following a flurry of developments last week that suggested special counsel Robert Mueller was nearing the end of part of his probe, sent shockwaves through Washington, underscoring the gravity of a building political crisis.

The White House insisted it had nothing to do with the sudden departure of McCabe.

But given the political heat being cranked up by Trump, GOP aides on Capitol Hill and in the pro-Trump media, it would not surprise anyone if special counsel Robert Mueller or Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein is next to go.

Though such a step would trigger political mayhem and a potential constitutional showdown that could imperil Trump's presidency, such steps, if they happened, could be seen as the logical outcome of a pressure campaign that has raised concerns about Trump's tendency to rage against legal norms constraining his office.

The swirl of events also comes as speculation mounts over whether Trump will testify in person to the Mueller probe, as some of his friends warn him he could be walking into a trap set by the special counsel's team.

And in a new sign of the President's fixation with the Russia probe, his anger boiled over as he flew to Davos, Switzerland, on Air Force One last week, after he found out that Associate Attorney General Stephen Boyd had said the release of the GOP memo about the dossier would be "extraordinarily reckless," Bloomberg News reported Monday, citing four sources with knowledge of the matter.

Clear and consistent pattern

Video -- FBI Deputy Director comes to Comey's defense 01:13

Events of the last year show a clear and consistent pattern by the President of demanding loyalty from law enforcement officials -- including recently forced out McCabe and fired FBI chief James Comey. Trump has also publicly vented at Attorney General Jeff Sessions, saying he wouldn't have picked him had he known he would recuse himself from the Russian investigation -- another variation on the loyalty theme.

At the same time, the President has shown himself willing to blur the traditional firewalls between the White House and the Justice Department and the FBI, either misunderstanding, or showing disdain for, protocols observed to avoid any impression of political interference in the neutral administration of justice.

The administration has spent weeks cranking up scrutiny on career FBI and Justice Department officials, claiming the Mueller probe is biased against Trump, apparently seeking to discredit its eventual findings and perhaps to shape the political terrain ahead of any calls for impeachment proceedings.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders on Monday admitted that the President had put pressure on those in the investigation "to get it resolved" so he can go back to work she said Americans care about.

But she denied the White House had ordered McCabe's exit.

"I can say the President wasn't part of this decision-making process," Sanders said.

Another building block in the apparent efforts of the administration and its allies to cast doubt on the probity of the Mueller probe could come later Monday.

Nunes memo

Video -- House intel votes to release Nunes memo 01:29

Democrats have claimed the House Intelligence Committee memo misrepresents the facts and intelligence officials worry that its release could compromise classified information, though Trump is minded to approve its publication, an official familiar with the matter told CNN last week.

Republicans are adamant that the memo suggests serious problems with the use of the dossier, drawn up by former British spy Christopher Steele, which they claim was the spur for the FBI probe into alleged collusion between Russia and Trump's 2016 campaign.

"I have read the four-page memo. What I read was very concerning. I support making it public and getting this done as soon as possible," Washington Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, a member of the House GOP leadership, told Fox News on Monday.

The memo cites the role of McCabe and Rosenstein for their roles in overseeing aspects of the investigation, according to a source briefed on the matter.

The cresting intrigue Monday follows a flurry of sensational developments in recent days that suggest that Mueller is approaching a critical point of his investigation and that the President's personal jeopardy could be deepening.

On Thursday, The New York Times reported that Trump ordered the firing of the special counsel in June. CNN reported that pressure to dismiss Mueller prompted the White House Counsel Donald McGahn to tell colleagues he would resign.

The firing never happened, but it could be relevant to Mueller's inquiries into whether Trump obstructed justice by firing Comey, since it could serve as evidence of the President's state of mind and intent in his apparent attempts to end the Russia investigation.

Trump now has Rosenstein in his crosshairs, CNN reported Friday, and has repeatedly suggested removing him, prompting advisers to warn the President off.

In McCabe's case, Trump's advisers highlighted the fact that the former deputy FBI director's wife mounted a Democratic state Senate campaign in Virginia, before he took his final post with the bureau.

The Washington Post reported last week that Trump had directly asked McCabe who he voted for in the 2016 election in a highly unusual move for a president toward a civil servant. CNN established that McCabe voted in the Republican primary in 2016 but did not vote in the general election.

Pressure on key officials

video -- RNC chairwoman: Comey deserved to be fired 01:27

For some of Trump's critics, the pattern of pressure on key officials is already sufficient to raise strong suspicions that the President, in the Comey firing and subsequent actions, is guilty of obstruction of justice, a potentially impeachable offense.'

"On perhaps the most important question of all -- whether the President of the United States committed the crime of obstruction of justice -- the answer now seems clear," Jeffrey Toobin, New Yorker staff writer and CNN senior legal analyst, wrote on Friday.

Should he go a step further and seek to fire Mueller, as he apparently recommended in June, Trump could trigger a constitutional crisis.

"I think if the President had gone through with this or tries to go through with it on a going forward basis, we're into uncharted territory, we're into the real question of the fundamentals of our democracy," Virginia Sen. Mark Warner told CNN's Jake Tapper on Friday.

"Are we still going to be a country where the rule of law prevails and that no one, even the President, is above the law?" Warner said.

Still, though it is clear the President is furious about the Russia investigation, and has demonstrably created political pressure on multiple officials linked to it, it does not follow that Mueller is destined to conclude he obstructed justice.

Former independent counsel Kenneth Starr, who led the investigation against President Bill Clinton, said that he did not believe Trump's actions had demonstrated corrupt intent that would be needed to back up an obstruction finding.

"I don't think that those who have been saying this is obstruction of justice have come forward with pervasive authority and have not addressed what I view as a fundamental question, the power of the presidency," Starr said on ABC News "This Week" on Sunday.

Though he maintained that the President has broad jurisdiction over law enforcement officials in his administration, he did allow that any move by the President to fire Mueller would cause "Armageddon."

Still, a case against the President that fell short of the criminal standards for an obstruction inquiry could still be forwarded to Congress for consideration of whether his conduct amounted to a high crime and misdemeanor required to trigger the political process of impeachment.

Yet given the intense skepticism of the Mueller probe and the orchestrated campaign against it that was again in evidence Monday, there must be significant doubt whether the GOP-led House would decide to move ahead.



THE MEMO

http://www.politicususa.com/2018/01/29/hell-break-loose-gop-secret-memo-goes-rosenstein-speed-bump-get-firing-mueller.html?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=idealmedia&utm_campaign=politicususa.com&utm_term=68739&utm_content=2182284
All Hell To Break Loose As GOP Secret Memo Goes After Rosenstein Speed Bump To Get To Firing Mueller
By Jason Easley on Mon, Jan 29th, 2018 at 10:46 am

Photograph of Mueller – NOTE to readers -- This facial expression is priceless!

Republicans are making their move to give Trump the political cover he needs via a secret memo to remove Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to get to their real objective, which is firing Special counsel Robert Mueller.

The New York Times reported:

A secret, highly contentious Republican memo reveals that Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein approved an application to extend surveillance of a former Trump campaign associate shortly after taking office last spring, according to three people familiar with it.

The renewal shows that the Justice Department under President Trump saw reason to believe that the associate, Carter Page, was acting as a Russian agent. But the reference to Mr. Rosenstein’s actions in the memo — a much-disputed document that paints the investigation into Russian election meddling as tainted from the start — indicates that Republicans may be moving to seize on his role as they seek to undermine the inquiry.

Trump can’t fire Mueller until he gets rid of Rosenstein

Trump needs to get Rosenstein out of the way before he can fire Mueller. House Intel Committee Chairman Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) is a Trump stooge who has been trying to sabotage the Russia investigations since Trump took office. Nunes isn’t fooling anyone. The goal here isn’t to fire Rosenstein. It’s to fire Special Counsel Robert Mueller. If Trump fires Rosenstein, he can then appoint a new Deputy Attorney General who will fire Mueller.

If Trump fires Rosenstein, all hell will break loose

Republicans are divided on whether or not to pass a bill to protect Mueller from Trump, but if Trump fires Rosenstein, the pressure is going to grow on Congress to pass legislation to protect Mueller. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said that he didn’t think that Congress needed to pass legislation to protect Mueller during an interview with Hugh Hewitt on November of 2017, but that all change if Republican hopes get even direr for 2018, and the GOP feels pressure to act to save their majority.

Trump and Nunes are about to unleash a firestorm as all of the national rage that has built up since Trump took office will explode if he makes his move to fire Robert Mueller.


MORE ON THE MEMO

http://www.politicususa.com/2018/01/29/paul-ryan-betraying-country-committing-impeachable-offense-secret-memo.html?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=idealmedia&utm_campaign=politicususa.com&utm_term=68739&utm_content=2182283
Paul Ryan Is Committing An Offense Bordering On Treason By Enabling The Secret Memo
By Jason Easley on Mon, Jan 29th, 2018 at 11:43 am

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan is turning a blind eye and supporting Devin Nunes in his treasonous secret memo effort to kill the Russia investigation.

Video: CNN report by Senior Congressional Correspondent Manu Raju

CNN’s Manu Raju reported, “There is a lot of support within the Republican conference on the house side to move forward and release this memo. The speaker Paul Ryan, his office, in fact, is making it very clear, they also are supporting whatever Devin Nunes ultimately decides to do, a spokesperson for the — for Ryan’s office just told me moments ago that they’re deferring to Nunes about this, not the first time they deferred to Nunes in his ongoing dispute with the justice department. So, Brianna, a lot of questions ahead of this key meeting tonight about whether or not a vote, but if there is one, very likely enough support to send it over to the white house, which makes the decision about whether to object to its release or allow its release. We know the president himself is inclined to allow it to be released.”

Paul Ryan is committing an impeachable offense

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan should not be allowing House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes to obstruct and sabotage the Russia investigation. Ryan is enabling the Trump cover-up without getting his own hands dirty. When then-House Oversight Committee Chair Rep. Darrell Issa was running wild, Speaker of the House John Boehner stepped in to remove Issa from power.

Ryan’s interest is in killing the Russia investigation. Speaker Ryan has consistently put his country last when it comes to Trump and the Russia investigation. Ryan has used his position as the leader of the House to do nothing but advance the interests of corporations and the wealthiest Americans. There were potentially several crimes committed against the United States of America during the 2016 presidential election.

Our constitutional system depends on leaders upholding their oaths of office and doing their patriotic duty. Paul Ryan has ignored his oath of office and enabled crimes against his country.

With treason in his heart and Koch money in his wallet, Paul Ryan is turning a blind eye while his country is being attacked from within.

Follow Jason Easley on Twitter

Paul Ryan Is Committing An Offense Bordering On Treason By Enabling The Secret Memo added by Jason Easley on Mon, Jan 29th, 2018
View all posts by Jason Easley →



DID MCGAHN OR DIDN’T HE REFUSE TO FIRE MUELLER? WHAT’S THE WHOLE STORY?

JOE SCARBOROUGH
✔
@JOENBC
HEY DON MCGAHN, THANK YOU. 🇺🇸

https://www.rawstory.com/2018/01/mcgahn-jumped-ship-internet-dissects-bombshell-reports-wh-counsel-kept-trump-firing-mueller/
‘McGahn has jumped ship’: Internet dissects bombshell reports that WH counsel kept Trump from firing Mueller
Noor Al-Sibai NOOR AL-SIBAI
25 JAN 2018 AT 21:27 ET

White House counsel Don McGahn II. Image via screengrab.

Amid the massive bombshell report claiming President Donald Trump attempted to fire special counsel Robert Mueller, Twitter has identified an underlying thread — that White House counsel Don McGahn II, who threatened to quit if the president fired the special counsel, is no longer on team Trump.

As four sources who spoke with the New York Times noted, Trump ordered McGahn to fire Mueller last June, claiming it would have a “catastrophic effect” on the presidency. He also insisted to White House officials Trump wouldn’t follow through on the firing himself.


Kyle Griffin
✔
@kylegriffin1
"McGahn disagreed with the president’s case and told senior White House officials that firing Mr. Mueller would have a catastrophic effect on Mr. Trump’s presidency. Mr. McGahn also told White House officials that Mr. Trump would not follow through on the dismissal on his own." https://twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status/956697533379735554 …

8:25 PM - Jan 25, 2018
39 39 Replies 442 442 Retweets 842 842 likes
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As The Atlantic‘s Natasha Bertrand noted, this information makes it clear that “McGahn has jumped ship.”


Natasha Bertrand
✔
@NatashaBertrand
If it wasn’t clear before: McGahn has jumped ship https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/25/us/politics/trump-mueller-special-counsel-russia.html …

8:30 PM - Jan 25, 2018
Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel overseeing the Russia investigation, learned in recent months about President Trump’s attempt to fire him.

Trump Ordered Mueller Fired, but Backed Off When White House Counsel Threatened to Quit

The president ordered the firing last June as he first learned that the special counsel might be investigating whether he had obstructed justice.

nytimes.com
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CNBC’s Christina Wilkie, meanwhile, noted that McGahn has noted [sic] denied the claim.


Christina Wilkie
✔
@christinawilkie
This type of story doesn’t happen by accident, where 4 sources all know about a request the president made to his WH counsel, and all corroborate it to reporters. With no denial from McGahn.

This suggests McGahn’s team wants it known that he stood up to Trump. https://twitter.com/clarkkathleen/status/956701289404092416 …

8:48 PM - Jan 25, 2018
205 205 Replies 2,456 2,456 Retweets 6,633 6,633 likes
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Read the best responses below.


Clara Jeffery
✔
@ClaraJeffery
We were more accurate than we knew with the hed and art* on this May profile of Don McGahn: https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2017/04/don-mcgahn-trump-white-house-counsel/ …
8:30 PM - Jan 25, 2018

[“hed and art*” – this is another cutsy term used by the popular and probably beautiful people without defining terms just to show their superiority – wink wink – if you understand this you’re in the club -- so I have placed this here to guide you where to go. Go to: “https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/hed.” Oh, alright. It means “headline.”]

When Trump tweets, this is the White House lawyer who has to clean up the mess
Meet Don McGahn.

motherjones.com
7 7 Replies 132 132 Retweets 251 251 likes
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Charles P. Pierce
✔
@CharlesPPierce
Am I alone in thinking that Don McGann is negotiating a deal with Mueller in real time?

9:13 PM - Jan 25, 2018
169 169 Replies 543 543 Retweets 3,194 3,194 likes
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Joe Scarborough
✔
@JoeNBC
Hey Don McGahn, thank you. 🇺🇸

8:31 PM - Jan 25, 2018
332 332 Replies 918 918 Retweets 5,978 5,978 likes
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Renato Mariotti
✔
@renato_mariotti
This is an interesting point—if McGahn is behind this, why would McGahn want to be seen in a positive light by Mueller? Does he have any exposure of his own? https://twitter.com/christinawilkie/status/956705399599747072 …

8:55 PM - Jan 25, 2018
114 114 Replies 501 501 Retweets 1,364 1,364 likes
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Laurence Tribe
✔
@tribelaw
To me, it looks like McGahn proved he has at least some legal scruples. Good for him. https://twitter.com/natashabertrand/status/956700787224309760 …

8:48 PM - Jan 25, 2018
59 59 Replies 167 167 Retweets 616 616 likes
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Ian Millhiser
✔
@imillhiser
Area man shocked to learn that Don McGahn has a soul.

8:18 PM - Jan 25, 2018
10 10 Replies 27 27 Retweets 129 129 likes
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Stefan Becket
✔
@becket
Trump: Fire Mueller.

McGahn: No. I'd rather quit.

Trump: Oh ok, forget it then.

8:42 PM - Jan 25, 2018
6 6 Replies 34 34 Retweets 153 153 likes
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Dan McLaughlin
✔
@baseballcrank
McGahn facing down Trump when he wanted to fire Mueller is precisely why we want good people to stay & serve this Administration. You can make a difference.

8:31 PM - Jan 25, 2018
102 102 Replies 298 298 Retweets 1,163 1,163 likes
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Laura Rozen
@lrozen
i'd buy don mcgahn's tell all memoir of the past year

9:02 PM - Jan 25, 2018
11 11 Replies 17 17 Retweets 94 94 likes
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Allahpundit
@allahpundit
Don McGahn has denied us the Very Special Episode of “The Apprentice: White House” that we deserve and for that he cannot be forgiven

9:13 PM - Jan 25, 2018
4 4 Replies 18 18 Retweets 136 136 likes
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MORE TRUMP PRESSURE IS PUSHING A GOOD GUY OUT. “FORMER ATTORNEY GENERAL ERIC HOLDER TWEETED IN DEFENSE OF MCCABE SHORTLY AFTER THE NEWS BROKE, CALLING HIM A "DEDICATED PUBLIC SERVANT" AND WARNED OF THE IMPACT THAT "BOGUS ATTACKS ON THE FBI AND DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE CAN HAVE LONG-TERM, UNNECESSARY DAMAGE TO THESE FOUNDATIONS OF OUR GOVERNMENT.” WHY IS IT THAT PEOPLE OF GOOD SENSE AND GOOD WILL ARE SCORNED IN THESE DAYS? SOME WOULD SAY THAT IT’S BECAUSE WE ARE IN THE END TIMES. I SAY IT’S BECAUSE GOOD REQUIRES CAREFUL NURTURING TO OVERCOME THE WEEDS THAT ARE GROWING IN THE GARDEN. SOME OF YOU CHRISTIANS WILL RECOGNIZE THAT REFERENCE.

“@ERICHOLDER
FBI DEPUTY DIRECTOR ANDREW MCCABE IS, AND HAS BEEN, A DEDICATED PUBLIC SERVANT WHO HAS SERVED THIS COUNTRY WELL. BOGUS ATTACKS ON THE FBI AND DOJ TO DISTRACT ATTENTION FROM A LEGITIMATE CRIMINAL INQUIRY DOES LONG TERM, UNNECESSARY DAMAGE TO THESE FOUNDATIONS OF OUR GOVERNMENT.”

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/fbi-deputy-director-stepping/story?id=52686458
FBI's deputy director stepping down amid repeated criticism from Trump
By MIKE LEVINE Jan 29, 2018, 6:10 PM ET

Related: FBI deputy director steps down as Trump prepares for the State of the Union

Two government officials familiar with the matter confirm to ABC News that FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe is stepping down immediately.

He had long been expected to retire from government in March, when he was eligible to receive his benefits for his years of service. Now, he is vacating his post atop the FBI and taking time away from the agency — but he will technically remain an employee of the bureau until his official retirement in March.

McCabe's role in the FBI has been the topic of conversation recently, as last week two sources familiar with the matter told ABC News that Attorney General Jeff Sessions has been pushing FBI Director Chris Wray to replace McCabe, his deputy, and install new leadership within the FBI.

A source familiar with McCabe’s thinking told ABC News that the deputy director in recent days had come to learn he was going to get “slammed” in an upcoming inspector general report on the actions of senior F.B.I. officials during the 2016 presidential campaign.

It was going to be “rough on him,” the source said.

PHOTO: Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe, CIA Director Mike Pompeo, and Director of National Intelligence Daniel Coats, appear during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing in Washington on May 11, 2017. CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images, FILE

Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe, CIA Director Mike Pompeo, and Director of National Intelligence Daniel Coats, appear during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing in Washington on May 11, 2017. more +

The attorney general’s push came as many Republicans, including President Donald Trump, continued to hammer McCabe and others at the FBI for what they allege is political bias in their law enforcement work.

McCabe is known to be an ally of former FBI director James Comey. Prior to Comey's dismissal in May 2017, Comey had come under fire for his handling of the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server, which ultimately exonerated Clinton of criminal wrongdoing.

More recently, McCabe has been under fire himself for alleged conflicts of interest because his wife ran for state-wide office as a Democrat in 2015 while the Clinton email probe was underway.

PHOTO: Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe waits to testify before the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on Capitol Hill in Washington, May 11, 2017.Eric Thayer/Reuters, FILE

Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe waits to testify before the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on Capitol Hill in Washington, May 11, 2017.more +
However, emails and correspondence released by the FBI show McCabe recused himself from any public corruption cases ties to Virginia. According to the FBI documents, McCabe had no oversight of the Clinton matter until he became deputy director in February 2016, three months after his wife lost her election bid.

PHOTO: FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe is escorted by U.S. Capitol Police before a meeting with members of the Oversight and Government Reform and Judiciary committees in Washington, Dec. 21, 2017.Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images, FILE

FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe is escorted by U.S. Capitol Police before a meeting with members of the Oversight and Government Reform and Judiciary committees in Washington, Dec. 21, 2017.more +
Last month, Trump singled out McCabe in a tweet, writing, "How can FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, the man in charge, along with leakin' James Comey, of the Phony Hillary Clinton investigation (including her 33,000 illegally deleted emails) be given $700,000 for wife's campaign by Clinton Puppets during investigation?"

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said on Monday that the president didn’t have any involvement in the decision.

“The president wasn't a part of the decision-making process,” Sanders said.

As for whether any White House were in contact with the FBI on the matter, Sanders said she was not aware of any such contact.

Former Attorney General Eric Holder tweeted in defense of McCabe shortly after the news broke, calling him a "dedicated public servant" and warned of the impact that "bogus attacks on the FBI and Department of Justice can have long-term.

"FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe is, and has been, a dedicated public servant who has served this country well. Bogus attacks on the FBI and DOJ to distract attention from a legitimate criminal inquiry does long term, unnecessary damage to these foundations of our government," Holder wrote in a tweet.


Eric Holder
✔
@EricHolder
FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe is, and has been, a dedicated public servant who has served this country well. Bogus attacks on the FBI and DOJ to distract attention from a legitimate criminal inquiry does long term, unnecessary damage to these foundations of our government.

12:38 PM - Jan 29, 2018
5,657 5,657 Replies 12,629 12,629 Retweets 29,567 29,567 likes
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The president's eldest son Donald Trump Jr. was critical of McCabe formally remaining in the bureau until March when he is eligible to receive his benefits for his years of service.

"So they will keep him on till then despite all this to make sure the American tax payer is stuck paying him for the rest of his life?" Trump Jr. wrote on Twitter.


Donald Trump Jr.
✔
@DonaldJTrumpJr
So they will keep him on till then despite all this to make sure the American tax payer is stuck paying him for the rest of his life? https://twitter.com/stevenportnoy/status/958031625421500416 …

12:57 PM - Jan 29, 2018
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ABC News' Meghan Keneally, Josh Margolin, and Jordyn Phelps contributed to this report.

THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY. PLEASE REFRESH FOR DETAILS.



THIS IS NOT REALLY SURPRISING. THE REPUBLICANS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN UNDERHANDED AND OFTEN VICIOUS, BUT IN A TIME WHEN THEIR POWER IS AT STAKE, THEY ARE MORE FEROCIOUS. DEMOCRATS DO BAD THINGS TOO, BUT NOT USUALLY SO DECEITFULLY. REMEMBER RICHARD NIXON’S SELF-DESCRIBED “DIRTY TRICKS” TEAM? ADAM SCHIFF’S COMMENTS BELOW SUM IT ALL UP NICELY:

“SCHIFF SAID HE BELIEVES THE WHITE HOUSE WILL ALLOW ITS RELEASE, DESPITE OBJECTIONS FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE. “’I THINK WE HAVE CROSSED A DEEPLY REGRETTABLE LINE,’ SCHIFF SAID AFTER THE VOTE. THE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE IS RUNNING ITS OWN INVESTIGATION INTO RUSSIA'S INTERFERENCE IN THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION AND POSSIBLE COLLUSION WITH TRUMP ASSOCIATES.”

SEVERAL REPUBLICANS HAVE EAGERLY POINTED OUT RECENTLY THAT “COLLUSION” PER SE IS NOT A CRIME. THEY HAVE FAILED TO MENTION THAT “CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT A CRIME” IS. DEEDS ARE NOT ENOUGH. INTENTION IS NEEDED. SURELY, MUELLER AND A STABLE FULL OF GOOD UNBIASED BUT PATRIOTIC CRIMINAL LAWYERS WILL BE SUFFICIENT TO THE TASK.”

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2018/01/29/house-intel-votes-release-gop-memo-alleging-fbi-spying-abuses/1076651001/?csp=chromepush
House Intel votes to release controversial Republican memo alleging FBI spying 'abuses'
Erin Kelly, USA TODAY Published 6:45 p.m. ET Jan. 29, 2018 | Updated 6:47 p.m. ET Jan. 29, 2018

WASHINGTON — Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee voted Monday night to make public a controversial GOP memo alleging the FBI and the Department of Justice abused their surveillance authority to target then-presidential candidate Donald Trump and his associates.

The Republican majority voted to release its four-page memo along party lines WHILE BLOCKING THE RELEASE OF A COUNTER MEMO WRITTEN BY DEMOCRATS, said Rep. Adam Schiff of California, the panel's senior Democrat.

The GOP memo, written by Republican staff at the direction of Chairman Devin Nunes, R-Calif., will be released after the White House has up to five days to review it.

Schiff said he believes the White House will allow its release, despite objections from the Department of Justice.

"I think we have crossed a deeply regrettable line," Schiff said after the vote.

The Intelligence committee is running its own investigation into Russia's interference in the presidential election and possible collusion with Trump associates.

Committee Republicans voted earlier this month to allow any House member to come into a secure room and read the GOP memo. Lawmakers were not allowed to make copies or take the memo with them since it contained classified information.

Republican House members soon began putting out press releases describing the memo as containing "shocking" revelations that threatened democracy itself. However, they refused to give details because revealing classified information is a federal crime.

Schiff has described the GOP memo as "a profoundly misleading set of talking points" that is "rife with factual inaccuracies" that give "a distorted view of the FBI."

The vote came just hours after FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, who has been a target of fierce criticism from Trump and some conservative GOP lawmakers, abruptly announced his resignation Monday.

The committee's action is latest evidence of the deep partisan divide among its members, whose Russia investigation has been marred by political infighting.